FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

One of the fascinating aspects of wideouts is that scouts constantly hunt for towering players every season and yet the best receivers in the game are much shorter than what the NFL draft suggests should be seen. The two most important characteristics for receivers is the ability to beat the jam and their personal speed. Without those two keys, the rest doesn't really matter. But those two aspects alone also do not tell the entire story as well, since height will give an advantage over shorter cornerbacks and experience in the offense is also critical. Remember this about cornerbacks - most were either running backs or receivers earlier in their life and were not tall or fast enough to win a starting job as a wideout in college.

Height - While seemingly the 6'4" wideout should rule from their natural advantage against a secondary, only Randy Moss and Drew Bennett were that tall from the group of the best 24 wideouts in 2004. The table to the right is stocked full of players that were only six feet tall - eight of the top sixteen. Strangely dipping down only one inch really thins the crowd. Of the top 24 players last season, only Stokley, Kennison, Mason and Evans failed to meet the six foot mark. The prototypical size of the best wideouts from last year was about Joe Horn size at 6'1".

Weight - Since speed is essential, weight can be a liability. It also can place more stress on knee and ankle joints, and hamstrings as well. The lightest player was easily Marvin Harrison at 178 pounds but he's always been a burner and has every other quality desired in a wideout (including a quarterback named Peyton Manning). Most wideouts tend to be around 200 pounds. Prototypical would be Horn, Jimmy Smith and Darrell Jackson.

Age/Experience - While experience obviously helps a wideout to know what to do on pass routes, there's a significant number of the best that have only been in the game four to six years. Five different receivers had nine years of experience and yet the drop off happens fast after that. If Bruce and Jimmy Smith extend their streak in the top 24, they'll be skewing numbers higher than anyone from last year. The prime years suggested by last season would be between four and nine years of playing.

Rookies - While there were many top wideouts last year who were only six feet tall, only one of the first eight drafted were that short and Mark Clayton fell to the second round largely because of concerns about his size (and speed as well). The Lions are planning on using Mike Williams in the slot this season (or until Charles Rogers is hurt again), but at 6'5", he'll easily be the tallest slot guy in the world. Williamson went second to the Vikings and since he was "only" 6'1", he was considered to be slightly undersized. The reality is that he's almost the exact same size as Joe Horn and as much as speedster as Harrison.

Because of the desire for taller players early in the draft, the average weight was higher than was seen in the top 24 from last year. Notice how those lower drafted wideouts were much lighter than the early picks. In evaluating talent, scouts love to see big players and yet many of the better recievers in the game today were not drafted in the first round and are not the "right size". It's mostly about ability and speed, not merely how uncomfortable a rookie wideout will be sitting on the team plane.

Last year saw an usually high number of rookies contribute thanks to a rich draft class. Michael Clayton (12th), Nate Burleson (16th) and Andre Johnson (22nd) all ranked among the best fantasy starters in 2004. In most years, there will be about two wideouts that do well in their first year and move on to become top receivers. There were seven first rounders and three second rounders in 2004 for a total of ten taken in the first two rounds. 2005 witnessed six in the first round and six in the second round for a total of twelve.